Method of piping fluids.



Nb. 759,374. PATENTED MAY 10, 1904. J. D. ISAAGS & J. B. SPEED. METHODor PIPING FLUIDS.

APPLICATION FILED MN. 11, 19M. no MODEL.

I o I ,5 0

I v i m I l a I j J I 1 C H, i I f I! 'Wmwsseshim;

' residing atBerkeley, Alameda county, State of i UNITED STATES JOHNDOVE sAAcs,

Patented May 10, 1904..

ATENT ()FFICE."

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

METHOD OF PIPING FLUIDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 7.59.374, dated May 10,Application filed January 11, 1'904=.' Serial No. 188, 484;. (N0specimens.)

V T0 all who? it may concern,-

Be it known that we, JOHN DOVE ISAACS, residing at Oakland, and JAMESBUcKN'Er; Sreub,

California, citizens of the United States,.have invented an Improvementin Methods of Piping Fluids; and we hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same. I

' ()ur invention relates to the conveyance of fluids throughupipes, andwhile said invention is applicable to the piping of. any fluid in whichthe reduction of friction is desirable it is especially-intended for thepiping of oil.

The objectof our inventionis to reduce the friction of the moving fluidagainst thepipewalls, vwhich object is attained by tlie interventionbetween the fluid being conveyed and a the pipe-walls of an envelopcomposed of a second fluid, betweentwhich second fluid and thepipe-walls the friction" is less than that between said first fluidandthe pipe-walls, or between which second fluid and the first fluid thefriction is less than that between the said first fluid and thepipe-walls. To reach this end, our invention consists in delivering tothe pipe the fluid to be conveyed, together with a fluid of greaterspecific gravity, and in causingsaid-fluids to advance through the pipewith a helical motion about the axis of the fluid content, whereby thedenser fluid is caused to separate from the lighter and to incase it,thus reducing the firicional resistance to the flow of said lighter Inthe accompanying drawing (the figure in which is an elevation ofassembled parts, the pipe'being partly in section) we show one form ofan apparatus in which our method or improvement may be carried out,though it is to beunderstood that We do not confine ourselves to suchapparatus, it being merely an illustration sufficient to make ourimprovement clear.

In the drawing, A represents a pipe-line through which the fluiddesiredto be conveyed is caused to flow. The flow maybe occasioned byany suitable means-as, for. ex-

ample, the pump B, which draws said fluid by a suction-pipe b from asuitable. source.

With the said first fluid is delivered to the pipe-line A a secondfluid, which must be of greater specific gravity than the-firstfluid;The delivery may be effected at anyvsuitable point and in any suitablemanner.- -=For example, it may be delivered with the first fluid'to thepipe-li ne,.or the first; fluid may be introduced to the sec'ondin thepipe-line, or, asihere indicated, the second fluid may be delivered tothe first in the pipe-line, as by means of the pump C, with its suctionc, delivery-pipe c, encircling sleevec and holes c 'in the pipe-line A.Now, as will be seen from the sectional part of the pipe-line'A', theinterior of said pipe is formed or provided 'With obstructions a,disposed in a helical course.

helical course and" said obstructionsa're in-j tended-simply toillu'strate and tostand for one form or means-of effecting aheli'calmotion'of the fluid content as it advances through thepipe. It will nowbe seen that assaid fluid content flows through the pipe it will haveimparted to it a helical motion about its axis, which will have theeffect of separating; the denser fluid from the lighter, causing theformer to form around and incase the latter and to intervene between thelighter fluid and the pipe-walls, thereby reducing the friction whichwould otherwise exist between said pipe-walls and the lighter fluid. Inthe application of our method or improvement to the piping of oil itwill be readily understood that this advantage will be marked if, aswill be the case in practice, the heavier fluid be water. In such casewehave found that the; proportion of the oil and water is betweenwide'limitsimmaterial as to the character of the result and bearingonlyon the degree of These obstructions 'maybe of any suitable nature-suchas the reduction of the friction toipumping; but I there must besuflicient velocity of rotation before the'envelopment of the lighter bythe heavier fluid occurs, which velocity is depend ent on the diameterof the pipeand the relative densities of the two fluids.

-' Thepumpingof viscous liquidsthrough pipe-lines, notably heavy crudepetroleum, which-is often found as a fluid of a viscous, gummy, sticky,and ropy nature,

presents a proper; case for the exercise of our method.v.These'characteristics of this fluid render its 'pumpingthrough-longpipe-li nes,

as now practiced, avery' expensive operation, requiring many tlmes I asgreat a pressure to force'a given quantity-of oil as would berequiredfor pure water.- Our process affords a'means ofdelivering thesame quantity of ters Patent, 'is

oil with pressure about double that required for pumping pure water, andhence far smaller than required for oil under the ordinaryv methods. Byour method, owing to the comparatively slow rotation required to producej the enveloping eflect of the'water, (it being.-

found that quite a sloworgentle helical obstruction is sufficient)the'loss'of energy-expended in producing this rotation so small'n-comparison with the loss-by friction due aothe present method ofpumping through lighter fluid with the heavier fluid.

2. The method of piping a fluid which 0on sists in delivering said fluidto the pipe,'to-

gether with a fluid of greater specific gravity,

and in causing the fluid content to advance through the pipe with ahelical motion 'about its axissuflicient to envelop the lighter fluidwith the heavier fluid.

* 3. The method of piping oil which consists in advancing the oil,together with a'fluid of greater specific gravity, through the pipe.with a helical motion about the axis of the fluid content sufiicient t0.envelop the lighter fluid with I the heavier fluid;

4. The method of piping oil which consists in delivering the oil to thepipe, together with a 'fluid of greater specific: gravity, and incausing the fluid content to advance through the pipe, with a helicalmotion about its axis suflicient to envelop the-lighter fluid with theheavier fluid,

- .5. The method of piping oil which'consists in advancing the oil,together with water,

through the pipe, with a helical motion about the axis of the fluidcontent suflicient to envelop the lighter fluid with the heavier fluid.6. The method of piping oil which consists in delivering the oil to thepipe, together with water, and in causing the fluid content toadvance-through the pipe with a helical motion about its axiss'uflicient to envelop the lighter fluid with the heavier fluid. y

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

JOHN novn Is AAcs.

JAMES BUCKNER SPEED.

Witnesses:

WALTER -F. VANE,.

D. B. RICHARDS.

